Today’s Views

Zara Alvarez, human rights worker, mother

Zara Alvarez, human rights worker, mother

by
Aug 23, 2020

Here I am, writing another piece about a mother. Here I am, writing about the murder of a female human rights activist who was repeatedly threatened and harassed. Here we are mourning the death of another selfless woman who, despite being unjustly incarcerated for almost two years, chose to continue seeking justice for others.

The pandemic is a portal we create

The pandemic is a portal we create

by
Aug 19, 2020

While it is only logical to say that complete educational overhaul can only happen upon the realization of socio-economic reforms, it is equally logical to seize this chance to work on its initiation.

Beyond the umbilical cord: A mother’s breastmilk is her baby’s safety blanket, a right inherent

Beyond the umbilical cord: A mother’s breastmilk is her baby’s safety blanket, a right inherent

by
Aug 11, 2020

Mother’s milk is, I think, a symbol of compassion. Without mother’s milk we cannot survive, so our first act as a baby together with our mother is sucking milk from our mother, with a feeling of great closeness. At that time, we may not know how to express what love is, what compassion is, but there is a strong feeling of closeness. From the mother’s side also, if there is no strong feeling of closeness toward the baby, her milk may not flow readily. So, mother’s milk is, I think, a symbol of compassion and human affection. -The Dalai Lama

State of the nation’s terror, addressed

State of the nation’s terror, addressed

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Jul 21, 2020

The day Duterte signed the Anti-terrorism Law, 11 activists in Cabuyao, Laguna were manhandled by police and military men as they were packing up after a peaceful protest. They were detained without charges. A few days later, the National Vice-Chairperson of Gabriela and Chairperson of Bicolana is arrested based on a trumped up murder case. Jenelyn Nagrampa is also a barangay councilor in Nabua town, Camarines Sur.

Calls of distress, voices of hope

Calls of distress, voices of hope

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Jun 27, 2020

“Hay Salamat!” exclaimed Pinky (not her true name) after hearing the words, “Good morning ma’am? Unsay among ikatabang nimo mam?” from the other side of the line. Pinky was calling the numbers she chanced upon while browsing a social media platform that offers free online consultation.

Fertilizer scam, pandemic edition

Fertilizer scam, pandemic edition

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Jun 25, 2020

Farming in the Philippines has been synonymous to landlessness, debt and drought. Government has always placed agriculture at the bottom of the country’s priorities. But the pandemic showed that in order to survive a lockdown, accessing and securing food is essential. It is ironic then, how a country relying on its farmers for survival neglects its food security frontliners.

The invisible terror in universities

The invisible terror in universities

by
Jun 22, 2020

There could have been no better time to begin this column but now, no other way to begin but like this – a kind of exposé, an assertion, a kind of empowerment at the face of existing and impending terror in all its forms. By identifying and unpacking systemic injustices in different levels and contexts, I intend to incite to envision a kind of society stifled voices deserve. For one, where teachers’ labor is properly compensated and students are treated as thinking individuals who are capable of dissent without fear of being silenced.